June 2009www.che.com sieve trays flowmeter selection vol. 116 no. 6 june 20096Page 36Seal and gasket News Renewable Feedstocks Focus on PumpsStatic Spark SafetyFlowmeteR SelectioN Page 40Vibratory Feeders and conveyors Facts at Your Fingertips: Specialty metalsSealing Special advertising Section 01_CHE_060109_COV.indd 1 5/26/09 2:12:03 PMIt takes the right uids to achieve high levels of performance, productivity and economy.For operating supplies that meet critical functional and protection needs in demanding applications, choose performance uids from Dow.We supply advanced, proven, and reliable solutions for heat transfer, lubrication, uid power, freeze and corrosion protection, and deicing. WIhE8M 8yothetic rgaoic aod 8LIhE8M 8iIicooe IheraI FIuids increase processing efciency and economics in high temperature processing environments. www.dowtherm.com WIhE8M, WF88I aod W6AL IycoI-based heat IraosIer FIuids help prevent system corrosion and freeze damage in water-based HVAC, food and beverage, and other systems. www.dowfrost.com N8kL IodustriaI 6ooIaots help protect circulating systems against corrosion and cavitation erosion damage in gas pipeline compressor engines and other oil and gas service.www.norkool.com 6N FIuids aod Lubricaots reduce wear and extend the life of industrial, mobile, marine and other equipment while offering important re-resistance and economic benets. www.ucon.com 6A8 AircraIt eiciog FIuids help maintain winter aviation safety while contributing to on-time ight departure performance.www.ucaradf.comWe stand behind our uids with a global support team that can provide the application, technical, regulatory, sales and customer service assistance you require.For uids that perform, choose performance uids from Dow. Io Learo More...U.S, Canada, and Mexico: 1-800-447-4369Latin America: (+55) 11-5188-9222Europe: +800-3-694-6367* or (+32) 3-450-2240Asia-Pacic: +800-7776-7776* or (+60) 3-7958-3392TMTrademark of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) or an afliated company of DowSYLTHERM Fluids are manufactured by Dow Corning Corporation and distributed by The Dow Chemical Company*Toll-free service not available in all countries.Fluids that Move Your WorldPerformance Fluids from DowDow Chemical Ad No. DH-08-1120Full Page, 4 color processTrim Size 7-7/8 X 10-3/4Bleed Size 8-1/8 X 11Chemical EngineeringAlexander Marketing Services, Inc.Grand Rapids, Michigan 49516-0601 USAJob No. DH-17063March 18, 2008Electronic le prepared for: Chemical EngineeringCircle 01 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-01Dow Chemical 4-08.indd 1 5/21/09 9:36:12 AMCircle 04 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-04Flexicon 6-07.indd 1 5/21/09 9:42:18 AMCircle 05 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-05CPFD 6-09.indd 1 5/21/09 9:43:31 AMCommentary5 Editors PageLicensure around the globeInconsis-tent criteria for ob-taining a professional license or charter in engineering are being further complicated by an initiative that has recently gained momentum in the U.S. and elsewhere: raising the educational prereq-uisite from a bachelors to a masters degreedepartmentsLetters. . . . . . . . . . . . 6Calendar . . . . . . . . . 8, 9Whos Who . . . . . . . . 29Reader Service page . 56EconomicIndicators . . . . . . 57, 58advertisersSealing Special Adver-tising Section. . . .2326Product Showcase . . . 50ClassifiedAdvertising . . . . . .5154Advertiser Index . . . . 55Coming in JuLyLook for: Feature Reports on Plant Revamps and Turn-arounds; and Mixing; An Engineering Prac-tice article on Removal of Fouling Deposits on Coal Fired Process Heaters; An Environ-mental Manager ar-ticle on Non-chemical Water Treatment; A Focus on Weighing and Proportioning; News articles on Separation Technologies; and an Achema Review; Facts at Your Fingertips on Flow Measurement and Control; and moreCover: David Whitcher ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com June 2009 3I nThI sI ssueJune 2009Volume 116, no. 6equipment & serviCes30 Focus Pumps A positivedisplacement alternativefor syringe pumps; Break- through performance for highpressure applications; Eccentric disc pumps compensate for mechanical wear; Plunger pump expands its flow range to 75 gal/min; Vane pump offers extended bearing life, lower energy costs; and more34D-1 New Products & Services (Domestic Edition)This mist collector requiresfewer cleanings; Current- to-pressure transducer isvibration and positioninsensitive; Temperaturecontroller with embedded PLC ladder-logic control; A combined vortex flowmeter for steam, gas and liquids; This system tests small, uncatalyzed membrane samples; Inline air tightness checker; This control module is coupled with digital mass flowmeters; Handle fluidizable materials with this rotary feeder; and more34I-1 New Products & Services (InternationalEdition) Belt scales forvery large flowrates;Match the neededmodules to meet yourboiler requirements; Process viscous ma-terial with this kneading extruder; Mix water and steam for a steady hot-water supply; A new generation of compres-sors is now available; Elemental analysis in the palm of your hand; and moreCover story36Cover Story Dry Tray Pressure Drop Of Sieve TraysThis new correlation matches most commercial traysneWs11Chementator A direct coal-lique-faction process goes commercial...and more plants are in the works; Add CaC2 to improve the efficiency of steelmaking furnaces; A one-step process for extracting oil from algae...and a gasification process that gets methane from algae; A shocking way to compress CO2; Upgrading natural gas; A microreactor makes HMF from just sugar and water; Another potential outlet for glycerin; and more16 Newsfront Renewable Feedstocks: Trading Barrels for Bushels Efforts to boost conversion rates and yields and improve separation efficiency are helping, but obstacles remain 19 Newsfront Strengthening The Weakest Link New materials and designs help seals and gaskets evolve into components that can overcome todays CPI challengesengineering 33 Facts At Your Fingertips Specialty Met-alsThis one-page guide details the fac-tors to consider when evaluating specialty metals as a material of construction40 Feature ReportBeyond Flowmeter Selection: Con-sider Some of the Most Over-looked CriteriaThe whole-product-lifecycle approach encompasses more 44 Environmental ManagerAvoiding Static Sparks In Hazardous Atmospheres Relatively simple steps can be taken to mitigate risks associated with static electricity in process plants47 Solids Processing Vibratory Feeders AndConveyors: UsefulSelection TipsOngoingadvances in technologyhave helped these systems overcome key shortcomings of earlier designswww.che.com02_CHE_060109_TOC.indd 3 5/26/09 10:52:58 AMWhat is the value of values?Most companies claim to have core values. But unless they benet you, what good are they? At Swagelok, we dont just say we value Quality. We test our products beyond whats required. We dont just profess to value Innovation. We hold more than 200 patents worldwide. For us, Customer Focus isnt just there when you need us. Its providing our customers with services like assembly services, energy management, consignment and eBusiness. The value of our values not only makes our company stronger, it helps us surpass our customers expectations. See for yourself at swagelok.com/value.Circle 06 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-06Editors PageChemical engineering principles do not differ by geographical location. The same cannot be said, however, about the established criteria for certifying that an individual has mastery of those principles. Requirements for ob-taining a professional license or charter in the field vary widely from country to country, and in the U.S. they even vary from state to state. Such inconsis-tencies further complicate an initiative that has recently gained momentum and criticism in the U.S. and elsewhere: raising the educational prereq-uisite from a bachelors to a masters degree.WhilesuchrequirementsarecommonincontinentalEurope,theonly English-speaking nation to presently stipulate completion of a masters de-gree is the U.K., which recognizes its engineers with chartered status. Other accreditationboardsthatareatleastconsideringasimilarmoveinclude signatoriesofthe Washington Accord,whichinadditiontotheU.K.sEn-gineering Council (EngC) include IEAust (Australia), CCPE (Canada), IEI (Ireland),IPENZ(NewZealand), ABET(U.S.),HKIE(HongKong),ECSA (South Africa), JABEE (Japan) and IES (Singapore).The U.S. is moving more quickly than the other nations represented in the accord, explains Dr. Winfred M. Phillips, chair of the Washington Ac-cord, past ABET president and current vice president for research at the University of Florida. The charge is led by the discipline of civil engineer-ing,whichPhillipssaysisstimulatedbythelargenumbersinprivate consulting. Most of the other professional areas do not agree, he adds.Indeed, in a recent statement, the American Institute of Chemical Engi-neers(AIChE;NewYork;www.aiche.org),saysWhilestronglyencourag-ing chemical engineers to become licensed, AIChE leaders believe that the changeisunwarranted,expensive,andwontprovideanyincreasedben-efit or protection to the public. For chemical engineers, the B.S. degree, four yearsofpractice,andpassageoftheP.E.examaresufficienttoassurea reasonable level of competence and protect the public.In leading up to a call for action, AIChEs statement describes the situ-ation as follows: The change in the Model Law of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES; Clemson, S.C.; www.ncees.org) requires a Master of Science degree or its equivalent beginning in 2020. That would be on top of the current requirements that you have graduatedfromafouryear, ABET-accreditedengineeringprogram;have four years of work experience; and pass the Fundamentals of Engineering examination. State legislatures and governing boards are being urged to adopt this change by 2012, so it can be implemented in 2020.AIChEiscertainlynotaloneinitsobjection.Infact, AIChE,alongwith seven other societies, have endorsed an American Society of Mechanical En-gineers (New York; www.asme.org) position paper opposing the change. The Academy of Engineering Companies is also against it, AIChE says. ToconcernedCh.E.s,AIChEsuggeststhefollowing:Makeyouropinion known to the licensing board and appropriate committees of your state legis-lature. Also, make your management aware of the change. Finally, if you are amemberofotherengineeringsocieties,forexample,theNationalSociety ofProfessionalEngineers(NSPE; Alexandria, Va.;www.nspe.org), discuss the issue at local meetings. All [profes-sional engineers] need to be aware of the change. Mean-while, it points engineers to www.licensingthatworks.org.The best case scenario for chemical engineers with this mission would probably be differing requirements among the disciplines. This is not ideal from at least one perspec-tive.Manyofuswishthiswouldbesimplifiedandbe more informed, says Phillips.ORebekkah MarshallLicensure around the globeCtaining a professional license or charter in the field vary widely from country to country, and in the U.S. they even vary from state to state. Such inconsistencies further complicate an initiative that has recently gained momentum and criticism in the U.S. and elsewhere: raising the educational prerequisite from a bachelors to a masters degree.English-speaking nation to presently stipulate completion of a masters degree is the U.K., which recognizes its engineers with chartered status. Other accreditationboardsthatareatleastconsideringasimilarmoveinclude signatoriesofthe Washington Accord,whichinadditiontotheU.K.sEngineering Council (EngC) include IEAust (Australia), CCPE (Canada), IEI (Ireland),IPENZ(NewZealand), ABET(U.S.),HKIE(HongKong),ECSA (South Africa), JABEE (Japan) and IES (Singapore).the accord, explains Dr. Winfred M. Phillips, chair of the Washington Accord, past ABET president and current vice president for research at the University of Florida. The charge is led by the discipline of civil engineering,whichPhillipssaysisstimulatedbythelargenumbersinprivate consulting. Most of the other professional areas do not agree, he adds.neers(AIChE;NewYork;www.aiche.org),saysWhilestronglyencouraging chemical engineers to become licensed, AIChE leaders believe that the changeisunwarranted,expensive,andwontprovideanyincreasedbenefit or protection to the public. For chemical engineers, the B.S. degree, four yearsofpractice,andpassageoftheP.E.examaresufficienttoassurea reasonable level of competence and protect the public.ation as follows: The change in the Model Law of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES; Clemson, S.C.; www.ncees.org) requires a Master of Science degree or its equivalent beginning in 2020. That would be on top of the current requirements that you have graduatedfromafouryear, ABET-accreditedengineeringprogram;have four years of work experience; and pass the Fundamentals of Engineering examination. State legislatures and governing boards are being urged to adopt this change by 2012, so it can be implemented in 2020.seven other societies, have endorsed an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (New York; www.asme.org) position paper opposing the change. The Academy of Engineering Companies is also against it, AIChE says. known to the licensing board and appropriate committees of your state legislature. Also, make your management aware of the change. Finally, if you are amemberofotherengineeringsocieties,forexample,theNationalSociety ofProfessionalEngineers(NSPE; Alexandria, Va.;www.nspe.org), discuss the issue at local meetings. All [professional engineers] need to be aware of the change. Meanwhile, it points engineers to www.licensingthatworks.org.mission would probably be differing requirements among the disciplines. This is not ideal from at least one perspective.Manyofuswishthiswouldbesimplifiedandbe more informed, says Phillips. Licensure around the globeWinner of Eight Jesse H. Neal Awards for Editorial ExcellencePublished since 1902An Access Intelligence PublicationPUBLISHERMIKE OROURKEPublishermorourke@che.comEDITORSREBEKKAH J. MARSHALLEditor in Chiefrmarshall@che.comDOROTHY LOZOWSKIManaging Editordlozowski@che.comGERALD ONDREY (Frankfurt)Senior Editorgondrey@che.comKATE TORZEWSKIAssistant Editorktorzewski@che.comSUZANNE A. SHELLEYContributing Editorsshelley@che.comCORRESPONDENTSCHARLES BUTCHER (U.K.)cbutcher@che.comPAUL S. GRAD (Australia)pgrad@che.comTETSUO SATOH (Japan)tsatoh@che.comJOY LEPREE (New Jersey)jlepree@che.comGERALD PARKINSON(California) gparkinson@che.comEDITORIALADVISORY BOARDJOHN CARSONJenike & Johanson, Inc.DAVID DICKEYMixTech, Inc.MUKESH DOBLEIIT Madras, IndiaHENRY KISTERFluor Corp.TREVOR KLETZLoughborough University, U.K.GERHARD KREYSADECHEMA e.V.RAM RAMACHANDRANBOCINFORMATIONSERVICESROBERT PACIOREKSenior VP & Chief Information Officerrpaciorek@accessintel.comCHARLES SANDSSenior DeveloperWeb/business Applications Architectcsands@accessintel.comART & DESIGNDAVID WHITCHERArt Director/Editorial Production Managerdwhitcher@che.comPRODUCTIONMICHAEL D. KRAUSVP of Production & Manufacturingmkraus@accessintel.comSTEVE OLSONDirector of Production &Manufacturingsolson@accessintel.comWILLIAM C. GRAHAMAd Production Managerbgraham@che.comMARKETINGHOLLY ROUNTREEMarketing Managerhrountree@accessintel.comAUDIENCEDEVELOPMENTSYLVIA SIERRASenior Vice President, Corporate Audience Developmentssierra@accessintel.comJOHN ROCKWELLVice President, Audience Development Chemicaljrockwell@accessintel.comLAURIE HOFMANNAudience Marketing Directorlhofmann@Accessintel.comTERRY BESTAudience Development Managertbest@accessintel.comGEORGE SEVERINEFulfillment Managergseverine@accessintel.comJEN FELLINGList Sales, Statlistics (203) 778-8700j.felling@statlistics.comCONFERENCESDANA D. CAREYDirector, Global Event Sponsorshipsdcarey@chemweek.comPECK SIMSenior Manager,Conference Programmingpsim@chemweek.comBEATRIZ SUAREZDirector of Conference Operationsbsuarez@chemweek.comCORPORATESTEVE BARBERVP, Financial Planning & Internal Auditsbarber@accessintel.comBRIAN NESSENGroup Publisherbnessen@accessintel.comCHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JUNE 2009 5HEADQUARTERS110 William Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY10038, U.S.Tel: 212-621-4900 Fax: 212-621-4694EUROPEAN EDITORIAL OFFICESZeilweg 44,D-60439 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyTel: 49-69-2547-2073 Fax: 49-69-5700-2484CIRCULATION REQUESTS:Tel: 847-564-9290 Fax: 847-564-9453Fullfillment Manager; P.O. Box 3588, Northbrook, IL 60065-3588 email: clientservices@che.comADVERTISING REQUESTS: see p. 70For photocopy or reuse requests: 800-772-3350 or info@copyright.comFor reprints: chemicalengineering@theygsgroup.comLeaching Pb from glass?I read your article Recycling Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs; April, pp. 2427) on how CRTs are being repro-cessed and the technology associated therewith. Well done and well written; however, as a metallurgist, I recognize that glass is a very stable material when ex-posed to normal environments. The windshield on your and my automobile is unaffected by rain, sunshine, air pollution, an so on. I expect that glass buried in landfills 100 years ago is still there, no different than it was when it was buried. High-end glass crystal used to be (and still may be) made from PbO. Glasses that you put into the dishwasher will etch after hundreds of washings, but that alkaline and hot water environ-ment is a far cry from that of a landfill. To the best of my knowledge, nobody has ever been stupefied by lead that was part of properly vitrified glass. While we are very concerned about lead in landfills, I question the need for such concern when the lead is a chemically bound part of the stuff that makes up glass. I think this concern falls under the same technically in-competent concern that environmentalists have for free-machining brass (which contains 57 wt% lead to improve machining) in potable water systems: to contaminate the water passing through lead-containing castings, the lead would have to be extracted as part of the general corrosion of the castings, and if that happened at a rate high enough to measure the amount of lead in the water, brass castings would have a service life of only a few years. As we know, brass castings typically last the lifetime of the plumbing system in which they are installed. How about a story explaining why leaded glass is a concern when it is put into a landfill. Please explain the mechanism by which lead is leached from glass, contami-nating the ground around it and the water supply. Or maybe Ive just missed something. If so, please send me a reference by a technically competent organization that explains why otherwise stable glass suddenly be-comes soluble when placed in a landfill.Walter J. Sperko, P.E.Sperko Engineering Services, Inc., Greensboro, NC.Editor replies:The EPA has a toxicity threshold of 5 mg/L for the leach-ing of lead, and crushed CRT glass has been found to ex-ceed this threshold, leaching 18.5 mg/L (in a study by the University of Florida). Though CRTs are often disposed of as whole units (from which lead does not readily leach, as you point out), it is the more extreme case of a finely bro-ken down CRT that must be considered.In any case, with regulations in place for the handling and recycling of CRTs, the focus of this article was to highlight the technology currently in place for the efficient processing of CRT glass.The University of Florida report can be found here:www.hinkleycenter.com/publications/ lead_leachability_99-5.pdfLettersCircle 08 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-08Circle 07 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-076 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com June 200904_CHE_060109_LET.indd 6 5/22/09 2:13:37 PMCircle 09 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-09Honeywell 10-07.indd 1 5/21/09 9:46:45 AMNORTH AMERICAOil Sands and Heavy Oil Technologies Conference & Exhibition. Pennwell Petroleum Events (Tulsa, Okla.). Phone: 713-963-6251; Fax: 713-963-6201; Web:oilsandstechnologies.comCalgary, Alta.July 14162009 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. Biotechnology Industry Organiza-tion (BIO;Washington, D.C.). Phone: 202-962-9200; Fax: 202-488-6301; Web: bio.org/worldcongressMontreal, QuebecJuly 1922Microconstituent and Industrial Water Quality 2009 Conference. Water Environment Federation Spe-cialty Conferences (Alexandria, Va.). Phone: 703-684-2441; Web: wef.org/ConferencesTraining/Conferences Events/MicroconstituentsIndustrialWaterQuality/Baltimore, Md.July 262911th International Conference on Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems. Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spay Systems(Denver, Colo.). Phone: 303-871-4843; Fax: 303-871-4450; Web: ilass.uci.edu/iclass2009/Vail, Colo.July 26309th Biennial ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry. American Council for an En-ergy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE; Newark, Del.). Phone: 302-292-3966; Web: aceee.org/conf/09ss/09ssindex.htmNiagara Falls, N.Y.July 2831Shaping Innovation Leaders. Industrial Research Institute (Arlington, Va.). Phone: 703-647-2588; Web: iriinc.orgChicago, Ill.July 31Aug 74th Annual ISA Water/Wastewater Automatic Controls Division Symposium. The International Society of Automation (ISA; Research Triangle Park, N.C.). Phone: 919-990-1418; Web:isa.org/wwacOrlando, Fla.August 467th International Corrosion Solutions Conference. ATI Wah Chang (Albany, Ore.). Phone: 541-926-4211, Ext. 6280; Web: corrosionconference.comPark City, UtahSeptember 2024Human Error Prevention; Root Cause Analysis Seminar; Nuclear Quality Requirements for Pro-curement of Design & Construction Services and CalendarThats right, MAC bought SEMCO back in 1992. So if and when you need SEMCOcomponents or replacement parts, look no further than us. To nd out more, call MAC at 1-800-821-2476 or email us at Sales@MacEquipment.com. MAC-8266_SEMCOChemEng.indd 1 3/24/09 10:20:16 AM05_CHE_060109_CAL.indd 8 5/21/09 1:14:36 PM ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com June 2009 9Components Seminar; and QEH&S Auditing/ISO 19000 Seminar (separate events). High Technology Seminars (Cold Spring, N.Y.). Phone: 845-265-0123; Web: hightechnologyseminars.comChattanooga, Tenn.September 2229OSHA Dust Explosion Inspection Preparatory Training Course. Chilworth Technology (Plainsboro, N.J.). Phone: 609-799-4449; Web: chilworth.comColumbus, OhioSeptember 24EurOPE17th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition. ETA-Renewable Energies (Florence, Italy). Phone: + 39 055 5002280;Web: conference-biomass.comHamburg, GermanyJune 29July 342nd IuPAC Congress: Chemistry Solutions. Royal Society of Chemistry (Cambridge, U.K.). Phone: + 44 (0) 1223 432254; Fax: + 44 (0) 1223 423623; Web: iupac2009.orgGlasgow, ScotlandAugust 2732nd Annual Advances in Emulsion Polymeriza-tion and Latex Technology. Lehigh University (Bethle-hem, Pa.) and The University of Maryland (College Park, Md.); Phone: 404-894-3274; Web: davoscourse.comDavos-Platz, SwitzerlandAugust 3714th International Congress for Battery recycling 2009. ICM AG (Birrwil, Switzerland); Phone: +41 62 785 10 00; Fax: +41 62 785 10 05; Web: icm.chGeneva, SwitzerlandSeptember 1618ASIA & ELSEwHErE7th MachinExpo Bangladesh 2009 International Expo. Conference & Exhibition Management Services Ltd. (Woodside, N.Y.). Phone: 347-543-5543; Web:machinexpoonle.orgDhaka, BangladeshJuly 1619CHoPS (6th International Conference for Convey-ing and Handling of Particulate Solids),ICBMH (10th International Conference on Bulk Materials Storage, Handling & Transportation), and BuLKEX (Asia-Pacific Bulk Materials Handling Expo). The Powder/Bulk Portal (Benediktbeuern, Germany). Phone: 08857 69 89 60; Web: chops2009.org.auBrisbane, AustraliaAugust 37 Suzanne ShelleyThats right, MAC bought SEMCO back in 1992. So if and when you need SEMCOcomponents or replacement parts, look no further than us. To nd out more, call MAC at 1-800-821-2476 or email us at Sales@MacEquipment.com. MAC-8266_SEMCOChemEng.indd 1 3/24/09 10:20:16 AMI n n o v a t i o n .HbmGregrBI42gewsgninneBIynamreG/ekeseW-nekroB52364Imoc.spmup-regreob.wwwRotary Lobe PumpsMaceratingTechnologyNot for all. One for you:The BoergerRotary Lobe Pump.The compact design combined with the variety of sizes androtor options gives the best optimum solution for almostany targeted application of solid laden liquids. Thanks tothe elaborated engineering combined with outstandingconstruction quality and the maintenance-in-placeprinciples we achieve best life cycle cost-effectiveness.Makes our pump, your first choice.Circle 11 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-11 Circle 12 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-1205_CHE_060109_CAL.indd 9 5/21/09 1:15:09 PMCircle 13 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-13A Box 4 U 4-09.indd 1 5/21/09 10:05:00 AMMeanwhile,Headwatershasdonepilot tests for direct coal-liquefaction projects withtwoIndiancompanies,saysTheoLee, Headwatersvice-presidentandchieftech-nology officer (see previous story). In one case the company is doing a feasibility study for OilIndiaLtd.(Duliajan)fora44,000-bbl/d plantthatwoulduseAssamcoal.Thesec-ondproject,withRelianceIndustriesLtd. (Ahmedabad),isfora20,000-bbl/dplant that would process a combination of residual oilandlignite.Theplantwouldbelocated withinarefineryandwouldsubstituteliq-uefaction for coking the resid, says Lee.. . . and more plants are in the worksTheworldsfirstcommercialplanttopro-duceliquidfuelsbydirectcoalliquefac-tion is now being started up in Majata, Inner Mongolia, by Shenhua Group (Beijing). De-signedtoproduce25,000bbl/dofsyncrude from4,300metrictonsperday(m.t./d)of coal, the plant was operated for a 300-h trial at the beginning of this year, then was shut down for modifications. If the current startup goes well, the plant will phase into regular commercial production and Shenhua will go ahead with plans to add two more trains, for a total capacity of 75,000 bbl/d.Shenhualicensedthebasicprocessfrom HTI(nowHeadwatersInc.,SouthJordan, Utah;www.headwaters.com)andhassince mademodifications,somewiththehelpof various international companies (see CE, Au-gust2002,p.25,andFebruary1997,p.21). Powdered coal is dissolved in recycled process liquid at about 2,500 psig and 800F, then liq-uefactioniscompletedinasecondstageat aslightlyhighertemperature(flowsheet). Hydrogen is added in the first stage and an iron-based catalyst is dispersed in the slurry for both stages. The syncrude is refined into transportation fuels. Shenhua says its plant producesabout70%low-sulfurdieselfuel, plus naphtha and liquefied natural gas.Hydrogenfortheprocessisobtainedon-sitebycoalgasificationandsteamreform-ing of the syngas, which coproduces a large, concentratedstreamofcarbondioxide.A feasibility study for CO2 sequestration in a nearby deep saline-water reservoir is being plannedunderanagreementbetweenthe U.S.Dept.ofEnergy(DOE;Washington, D.C.)andChinasNationalDevelopment and Reform Commission (NDRC). DOEhassupportedthedevelopment ofdirectcoalliquefactionformanyyears andcollaborateswithNDRCthroughthe U.S.-China Energy Center at West Virginia University(Morgantown;www.wvu.edu). Qingyun Sun, the Centers associate direc-torandaformerconsultanttoShenhua, estimatedin2005thattheShenhuaplant wouldproduceliquidfuelsforunder$22/bbl,butnowsaysthatthecurrentcostis roughly double that figure. Note: For more information, circle the 3-digit numberon p. 56, or use the website designation. Edited by Gerald OndreyJune 2009Mercury sorbentA palladium-on-alumina sorbent, designed to remove mercury from synthesis gas in coal-gasifcation plants, has captured more than 98% of the mercury contained in a sour syngas stream in a test conducted by South-ern Co. (Atlanta, Ga.; www.southernco.com). The test showed that the sorbents performance was unaffected by high sulfur levels, says Pannalal Vimalchand, a consulting engineer at the companys Wilsonville, Ala., Power Systems Develop-ment Facility, where the test was carried out. The syngas contained 1,400 ppm of H2S, plus other sulfur species, says Vimalchand.The sorbent technology is being developed by Johnson Matthey (Malvern, Pa.; www.matthey.com), which licensed it from the U.S. Dept. of Ener-gys National Energy Technol-ogy Laboratory (NETL; Pitts-burgh, Pa.). The key feature of the sorbent is that it removes Hg at high temperatures, so it doesnt affect the thermal efficiency of the gasifcation process by requiring gas cooling. In the Southern Co.tests, performed at 500F, the adsorbent also removed more than 99% of the arsenic and selenium in the gas. CHEMICAL ENGINEErINGWWW.CHE.CoMJUNE 2009 11CoalGasGas fuelOil productsOilWaste gasCoalWastewaterWastewaterWaterSeparatorHydrotreatingLiquidDistillationResiduesSlurrypreparationSlurryOilslurryLiquefaction reactorsH2H2H2Gasificationand make H2H2H2 recoveryCatalystsA direct coal-liquefaction processgoes commercial . . . An innovation that improves the steelmak-ingefficiencyofanelectricarcfurnace (EAF) by adding calcium carbide to the pro-cesshasbeendevelopedbyNuFlux,LLC (Warren,Ohio),aproducerofsteelmaking fluxes,andCarbideIndustriesLLC(Lou-isville,Ky.;www.carbidellc.com),which makes calcium carbide for acetylene produc-tion. The technology has been tested in com-mercialfurnaces,andthecompanieshave formed a partnership to commercialize it.EAFsproducesteelfromscrapandac-count for about 60% of U.S. steel production. InanEAFoperation,lime-basedfluxesare charged to the furnace along with steel scrap Add CaC2 to improve the efficiency of steelmaking furnaces(Continues on p. 12)06_CHE_060109_CHM.indd 11 5/22/09 9:48:56 AMCHEMENTATORAlgae offer a ubiquitous, renewable source of oil for fuels and various chemical prod-ucts(CE,September2008,pp.2225),but the extraction of oil from the algae cells is an energy-intensive process that involves dew-atering and drying the biomass, followed by solventextraction.Now,aone-stepmethod thatbreaksthealgaecellsandliberates theoilwithouttheneedfordewateringor solventshasbeendevelopedbyOriginOil, Inc. (Los Angeles; www.originoil.com). Riggs Eckelberry, the company president, says the process promises to cut energy costs by 90%, plussubstantialsavingsincapitalcosts for solvent extraction.Inthenewmethod,algaereadyforhar-vestingarepumpedintoanextractiontank through a static mixer, which induces cavita-tion in the water. Simultaneously, a low-power, pulsed electromagnetic field is applied to the algae-laden stream, and CO2 is introduced to lower the pH. The combination of these mea-suresrupturesthecellwallsandreleases the oil, which rises to the surface in the tank while the biomass sinks. The final separation is achieved in a clarification tank.OriginOildevisedtheseparationmethod aspartofitsprocesstoproducebiofuels fromalgae,whichisstillunderdevelop-ment. However, the company is in early dis-cussionstomarkettheseparationprocess throughapartnershipwithDesmetBall-estra(Zaventum,Belgium),whichinstalls processsystemsforalgaeproducersand other oil and fat processors.12 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JUNE 2009at the beginning of the melting cycle. During the process, the fluxes absorb silica, alumina and other impurities, forming a slag on top of the melt. Simultaneously, natural gas, granu-lar coke and oxygen are injected via sidewall burners to supply additional energy, increase the scrap-melting rate and to create a foamy slag.Thelatterimprovesmeltingefficiency bysubmergingtheelectrodetipsandhelps protect the electrodes and furnace sidewalls, saysStewartRobinson,technicalmanager for Carbide Industries.Ideally, the slag should have a chemistry and viscosity suitable for foaming through-out the melt cycle, he says, but in practice there is usually too much lime at the begin-ningandtoolittleattheendofthecycle, asthechemistryoftheslagchangesdur-ing the process. The innovation minimizes thisproblembyinjectingcalciumcarbide atintervals,alongwithotherfluxingma-terials.TheaddedCaC2reactswiththe slagsFeOexothermically,therebyadding energy to the process as well as promoting slag foaming.STEELMAKING FURNACES(Continued from p. 11)A one-step process for extracting oil from algae . . .. . . and a gasification process that gets methane from algaeGenifuel Corp. (Salt Lake City, Utah; www.genifuel.com) has taken a different route to producing fuel from algae (see previous item). The company has licensed a catalytic hydro-thermal gasification process from DOEs Pa-cific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL, Richland Wash.; www.pnl.gov) and is using it to convert algae to natural gas.Anaqueousslurrycontainingabout20% algaeispumpedcontinuouslyintothebot-tom of a vertical stainless-steel reactor and converted to natural gas at about 350C and 3,000psi,usingarutheniumcatalyst.The conversion is better than 99%, says Genifuel presidentJimOyler,andtheproductgas consistsofabout97%methane,pluseth-ane, propane and hydrogen. The product gas exits the top of the reactor along with steam, which is used to preheat the feed, then con-densed and recycled to the algae ponds. PNNLhastestedtheprocesswithter-restrialplants,kelpandwaterhyacinths, as well as algae, but Oyler says algae is an idealfeedbecauseitiseasytoconvertto slurryform,sopreprocessingisrelatively inexpensive.Also,essentiallyalltheheat in the steam is recovered. He adds that the process operates at about half the tempera-ture of other gasification methods that dont use a catalyst. The present reactor produces about100ft3/dofnaturalgas,butOyler planstoworknextwithareactorthatis about four times larger. He says the process can be readily scaled up.A new H2SO4 processNow being commissioned at a lead smelter operated by Berzelius in Stolberg, Ger-many, is a new sulfur trioxide process developed by Bayer Technology Services (BTS; Leverkusen, Germany; www.bayertechnology.com). Con-ventional adiabatic contact or double contact conversion of SO2 to SO3 cannot handle SO2 concentrations above about 13% because the cata-lyst limits reactor outlet tem-peratures to around 620C. AtAchema last month, project manager Torsten Weber of BTS explained that the new Bayqik process uses an iso-thermal tubular reactor, allow-ing inlet SO2 concentrations of up to 50%. The process is suitable for new facilities, he says, but should be especially valuable as a retrot to existing contact plants in the metal-lurgical industry. At Stolberg, Bayqik exhaust gas is mixed with raw gas to reduce its SO2level to 9%.Batch manufacturingLast month, Performix Inc. (Houston, Tex.; www.perfor-mixinc.com) launched the xMES Next Generation UserInterface (UI) for plant oor operator execution. Designed with Rich Internet Application(RIA) technology and the ex-ibility to integrate data from ex-isting business systems, plant oor devices and the xMESsolution, this rst-of-a-kind interface for a manufacturing execution systems (MES) so-lution provides manufacturers with a more efficient process for viewing and executing (Continues on p. 15)Hapmans MiniVac pneumatic conveyor: maximize your ROI, minimize your timeMaximize ROI with the Hapman MiniVac pneumatic conveyor. Eliminate the need for an expensive air supply and reduce energy costs by up to 30% with the MiniVacs integral blower. Reduce labor and time with tool-less, side-door access for lter changes and cleaning. Eliminate the need for separate dust collection with the MiniVacs internal lter. Keep lter operating at top e ciency with the standard reverse-pulse lter cleaner. Only with the Hapman MiniVac pneumatic conveyor.Only Hapman oers Performantee, the rst and only true performance guarantee in the industry. We guarantee that our equipment will achieve the specic results for which it was designed and manufactured. If it doesnt, well revise, repair, or make whatever changes are necessary. Performanteed.Ned Thompson, president, HapmanIdeas that tailor the broadest line to move your product. PerformanteedTubular drag conveyorsHelix exible screw conveyorsBag dump stationsPosiPortion feedersBulk bag llers Bulk bag unloaders3 ways to convey. One Performanteed solution.Only Hapman oers three types of conveyor systemsand the 60+ years expertise to determine which is best for your specic application. Our tailor-made solutions and broadest material handling line carry the industrys only true performance guarantee.Europe Bratislava, Slovakiawww.hapman.euUK Bristol, Englandwww.hapman.co.uk India Vadodara, Gujaratwww.hapman.inUSA Kalamazoo, Michiganwww.ideasthatmove.netHAP_CE 7.875x10.75_ads_minivac.indd 1 12/10/08 1:43:47 PMCircle 14 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-14Hapman 6-09.indd 1 5/21/09 10:13:19 AMCompressingcarbondioxidecaptured frompowerplantsto1,5002,200 psiaforpipelinetransmissionorun-derground injection is a challenge that requireseightstagesormore,using conventionalcompressors.Acompres-sorthatpromisestodothejobintwo stages, for 5060% of the installed cost, isbeingdevelopedbyRamgenPower Systems,Inc.(Bellevue,Wash.;www.ramgen.com). Ramgenhasbeenworkingonthe compressor for some time, supported by theU.S.Dept.ofEnergy(DOE,Wash-ingtonD.C.;seeCE,June2006,p.16), buttheprojecthasreceivedaboost fromDresser-RandGroupInc.(Hous-ton, Tex.). Dresser-Rand has committed to a staged investment in the company, saysRamgenpresidentPeterBaldwin, who spoke at the recent Spring National Meeting of the AIChE in Tampa, Fla.Baldwinnotesthattheinletflowin conventionalcompressorsistypically limitedtoaMach numberofbelow0.90 attheinducerblade tip,toavoidgenerat-ingshockwavesin thebladepassages. Incontrast,Ramgens SupersonicShockWave Compressor borrows from supersonicaircraftengine inlettechnology,usingacom-binationofrotorrpmandinlet vanedesigntooperateatarela-tiveMach2.Insteadofconventional bladesthemachineusesrotatingdisks whoserimsarecontouredtoforminlet compression ramps that mimic the inlet design of supersonic aircraft engines (di-agram). The goal is to achieve a pressure ratio of 100:1 in two stages, each with its own separate drive.InassociationwithDresser-Rand, Ramgenisworkingona13,000-hp (10-MW) second stage that could handle the CO2 generated by a 250-MWe power plant. The second stage is the high-pres-surestage,soitsthecriticalone,says Baldwin. Weexpecttohaveitrunning sometime in 2011. He adds that, besides CO2,thecompressorcouldbeusedfor other heavy molecular weight gases and low-temperature applications.Aprocessthatproduceshydrogen-en-riched natural gas, with carbon black asabyproduct,isbeingdevelopedby Atlantic Hydrogen Inc. (Fredericton NB, Canada;www.atlantichydrogen.com). Thecompanyhaspilotedtheprocess at a scale of 25 m3/h of natural gas and plans to start up a demonstration plant thatwillproduce1,000m3/hofH2-en-richednaturalgas(HENG)towardthe end of 2010. InAtlanticHydrogensprocess,called CarbonSaver,naturalgasisflowed throughareactor,whereaproprietary pulsedplasmatorchdissociateshydro-gen from the methane at 1,5002,500C. Simultaneously,carbonisreleasedasa fine black powder. Following the reaction, theH2recombineswiththenaturalgas (forming a richer H2 mix after carbon re-moval), while the carbon is filtered from the flowing stream. CarbonSaver can be tunedtoproduceupto30vol%HENG, says David Wagner, president. Also, it can beoperatedatupto150psig,sothatit may be installed at various locations in a pipeline system or at end user sites, such as industrial customers or power plants.In commercial-scale combustion tests, 1020vol%hydrogen-enrichedgashas reducedemissionsofoxidesofnitrogen byasmuchas90%andcarbondioxide emissionsby79%,saysWagner.Also, in comparison with regular natural gas, 46% less fuel was required for the same energy output. Wagner says the econom-icsofCarbonSaverarefavorable,given thattheprocessyieldsahigh-quality carbon black.Upgrading natural gas14 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JUNE 2009CHEMENTATORA shocking way to compress CO2Pre-Inletflow surfaceSubsonic diffuserCompression rampStrake wallA microreactor makes HMF from just sugar and waterHajime Kawanami and colleagues at the AISTTohokuCollaborationCenter, ResearchCenterforCompactChemical Process,NationalInstituteofAdvanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST; Sendai,Japan;www.aist.go.jp)havede-velopedacontinuous,one-stepprocess forsynthesizinghydroxymethylfurfural (HMF),abiologicallyactivesubstance withpromisingtherapeuticproperties againstmetabolicsyndrome,highblood pressureanddiabetes. Theprocessuses inexpensivesugars,suchasglucoseor fructose, and water as starting materials no organic solvents or other additives.The key to the process is a microreac-tor that can operate from ambient condi-tions up to 600C and 300 MPa. The sys-temhasareactionvolumeof0.010.5 mLandacontinuousproductionca-pacity(calculated)of500kg/yr.Inthis reactor,high-pressure(10MPa)water andanaqueoussolutionofsugarsare firstinstantaneouslymixed,thenthe temperaturerapidly(within10ms)in-creased to 400C. After a residence time of 10 s, the mixture is rapidly (within 10 ms) cooled to 25C. The system continu-ously produces HMF with 70% yield and purity of greater than 80%. In contrast, alternative methods to make HMF from glucoserequiretwoormorereaction stepsandadditionalchemicals,such asionicliquidsorcomplexmetalcata-lysts (chromium, for instance), and have yields of below 50%. KawanamisaysthecrudeHMFpro-duced in the microreactor is slightly dis-colored due to impurities (acetic and for-micacids,andchar),butcouldalready beused,withoutspecialpurification steps, for de-inking or food applications.Hiroshi Abe and colleagues at Biochemical GroupofResearchInstituteforInnova-tion in Sustainable Chemistry, National In-stituteofAdvancedIndustrialScienceand Technology (Tsukuba, Japan; www.aist.go.jp) havediscoveredastrainofacetic-acidbac-teria(whichnormallyoxidizeethanolinto aceticacid)thateffectivelyconvertshighly concentrated(22%)glycerinintoD-glyceric acid. The researchers have developed a pro-cess to convert crude glycerin a byproduct of biodiesel production, which contains up to 10% methanol and other impurities into high-purity salt crystals of D-glyceric acid.Intheprocess,crudeglycerinisfirst heatedunderreducedpressuretoremove methanol,thentreatedwithactivated charcoaltoremoveotherorganicimpuri-ties. The concentrated glycerin is then fer-mented with the bacteria for about six days, which yields about 90 g/L of D-glyceric acid. An ion-selective membrane process is then usedtoremoveabout90%oftheimpuri-tiesfromthefermentationbroth,includ-ingunreactedglycerin,dihydroxyacetone (abyproduct),andotheringredientsfrom the culture medium. The resulting solution containsabout200g/Loftheacid,which can then be precipitated as high-purity salt crystals by adding calcium chloride. The sci-entists believe the technology has potential forutilizingthelargevolumesofglycerin produced around the world approaching 1-million tons/yr (CE, September 2007, pp. 3137), while providing a more economical route to D-glyceric acid.Another potential outlet for glycerin ChemiCal engineeringwww.Che.ComJune 2009 15Theworldsfirstdemonstrationplant combining underground coal gasifica-tionandgas-to-liquids(GTL)technolo-giesinthesamefacilitywasofficially openedonApril22inChinchilla,350 km northwest of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The plant is operated by Linc EnergyLtd(Brisbane;www.lincenergy.com.au), which was formed to research, developandcommercializetheunder-groundcoal-gasification(UCG)process inAustralia.Thecompanyhasatech-nology agreement with two Russian in-stitutions:theSkochinskyInstituteof Mining (SIM) the original creator and developer of UCG technology and the Scientific-Technical Mining Assn.At the Chinchilla UCG plant, two wells theinjectionwellandtheproduction wellaredrivenintothecoalseam. Linc Energy introduces only compressed air via the injection well. The coal is sub-sequentlyignitedatthebottomofthe injectionwellandtheproductgas(syn-gas)movesunderpressuretowardthe production well where it is extracted and cleaned. The syngas is then converted via Fischer-Tropsch (cobalt catalyst) into liq-uidhydrocarbons(syncrude),whichare subsequentlyfilteredandrefinedinto LPG,naphtha,jetfuelanddiesel.Linc Energyhasanagreementtoaccessthe coal-to-liquids(CTL)technologyofSyn-troleum Corp. (Tulsa, Okla.).The Chinchilla plant has been produc-ing synthetic diesel and jet fuel from coal seams at average depths of 140 m since October 2008. Since then, 35,000 tons of coal have been gasified there, more than inanyotherUCGtrial,saysLincEn-ergy.Theplanthasamaximumgasifi-cation capacity of 80,000 Nm3/h (or 675 ton/dofcoal).Itachieved95%recovery of the coal resource with 75% recovery of the total energy. Thecompanysaysthecombination of UCG clean-coal technology and CTL technologyhasthepotentialtoeco-nomicallyconvertQueenslandsvast strandedcoaldepositsintoultra-cleanliquidfuels.Thecompanymay also use the syngas produced from UCG asfeedstockforgasturbinestogener-ate electricity.Progress in underground coal gasificationelectronic work instructions while allowing users quick access to critical information based on different views pro-vided, says the frm. Developed in close collaboration with Dow Corning, xmeS next generation ui utilizes the adobe air plat-form, enabling users to deploy the solution on existing wireless handheld devices or on an op-erators computer at the plant in a fraction of the time it takes with existing meS solutions, says Performix.A gun that curesThe Car refnishes businesses of akzonobel n.V. (amster-dam, netherlands; www.ak-zonobel.com) and erea n.V. (wijnegem, Belgium; www.erea.be) have developed a spray gun that simultaneously paints and cures the Sikkens autoclear uV clearcoat. The handheld device has energy-efficient ultraviolet (uV) light emitting diodes (leDs) ftted around the spray nozzle, which enables the curing pro-cess to begin as soon as the paint comes in contact with the repair surface. whereas traditional bodyshop opera-tions use ovens that have to be maintained at the proper curing temperature, the spray gun involves no warmup time or curing oven, so up to 25% less energy is used during the total repair, says akzonobel. akzonobel has patented the technology and will market the product, which erea will man-ufacture, under the akzonobel and erea brand.At Achema last month (May 1115; Frank-furt, Germany), Sulzer Chemtech AG (Win-terthur,Switzerland;www.sulzerchemtech.com)launchedanewstaticmixer,theSMX plus. For homogenizing viscous fluid, the new SMXplushasabouthalfthepressuredrop of the companys standard SMX of the same diameter. As a result, significant cost savings canbeachievedbyusingsmallerpumpsor throughreduceddiameters,saysKatharina Hnsli,managerchemicalindustry,mixing andreactiontechnology.Energycosts,for example,canbereducedby2030%dueto reduced pumping demands, she says.TheSMXplusissuitableformixingvis-cousfluids(1,000to100,000Pas),suchas polymermelts.Whereasdynamicmixers are typically used in batch applications, now processors can consider using a static mixer for continuous processing. One example that acustomerhasbeentestingwiththeSMX plus is for mixing two components, one with a high viscosity and another with a low vis-cosity, explains Hnsli.The new mixer was designed to fit into the same pipe sizes as the SMX, so it is easy to installasaretrofit.Itcanalsobedesigned andfabricatedtodifferentcodes,suchas ASME or AD2000. Scaleup is no problem, as the mixer is based on the well-known SMX.A new static mixer delivers substantial cost savings(Continued from p. 12)06_CHE_060109_CHM.indd 15 5/22/09 9:59:14 AM16 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com June 2009NewsfrontWithtraditionalpetro-leum-derivedfeed-stocks facing relentless economic and environ-mental pressures, its no surprise thatstakeholdersthroughout thechemicalprocessindustries (CPI) have been in hot pursuit of alternative routes for producing commodity and specialty chemi-calsandpolymersfromcheap, plentifulrenewablefeedstocks. Themostpromisingroutesare basedonagriculturallyderived, starches,sugars,fats,oils,lignocellu-lose, and proteins, and waste streams fromfruitandvegetableprocessing plants,pulp-and-papermills,and other biomass sources (Figure 1).1Today, parallel efforts are beginning to bear fruit. According to market ana-lystFrost&Sullivan(London;www.chemicals.frost.com),theglobalmar-ketforrenewablysourcedcommodity chemicalsearnedrevenuesof$1.63 billion in 2008, and this figure is pro-jected to reach $5.01 billion by 2015.Many of the most mature processes to date tend to be focused on the con-versionofasinglerenewablefeed-stockintoasinglebiobasedchemical orpolymer(aone-to-oneconcept). However,torealizethefulltechno-economicimpactofusingrenewable feedstocks,theintegratedbiorefiner-iesofthefuturewillneedtopursue aone-to-manyconceptwhereby each renewable feedstock will be con-verted into any number of basic build-ingblockchemicals(so-calledplat-formchemicals),whichwouldthen serve as the interim feedstocks for the productionofcountlessdownstream, value-added chemicals, monomers and polymers,saysJosephJ.Bozell,asso-ciateprofessor,BiomassChemistry, ForestProductsCenter,Universityof Tennessee (Knoxville).In2004,theU.S.Dept.ofEnergy (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.doe.gov) identified12platformchemicalsthat canbeproducedfromsugarsviabio-logical or chemical routes 1,4-diac-ids (succinic, fumaric and malic acids), 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid, 3-hydroxy propionicacid,asparticacid,glucaric acid,glutamicacid,itaconicacid,le-vulinicacid,3-hydroxbutyrolactone, glycerin,sorbitolandxylitol/arabi-nitol.AccordingtoFrost&Sullivan, efforts to produce the platform chemi-calslactic acid, succinic acid, glycerin, 1,3-propanediol(PDO),levulinicacid, andvariouscelluloseandstarchde-rivatives are furthest along on the de-velopmental continuum today.Still,challengesremain,because no two technologies reside within any single company every company has perfected its own single technology for producing single target products says Phani Raj Kumar Chinthapalli, senior research analyst for Frost & Sullivan, who is based in Chennai, India.Building blocksAfter nearly two centuries, petroleum refineries are able to use proven, opti-mized technologies to produce a spec-NewsfrontEfforts to boost conversion rates and yields and improve separation efficiency are helping,but obstacles remainRenewable Feedstocks: tRadInG baRRels FoR bushelsWheatmaizepotatoCellulose/lignocelluloseRapeseed,soyseedVegetable oilBio dieselGlycerolNatural oilpolyols (NOP)PolyurethanesSugarbeet,sugarcaneStarchStarch based polymersPolyhydroxyalkanoatesEthanolEthanolLevulinic acidVinyl chlorideEthyleneSuccinicacidGlycolsIsosorbide PolymerPoly lactic acidAcrylic acid1,2 Propanediol1,3 Propanediol1,3 Propanediol1,2 PropanediolEpichlorohydrinCurrent bulk productionsProduction on pilot scaleResearch scaleEpoxy resinsCellulose etherscellulose estersand viscose fibersGlycerol carbonateAcroleinMeMblSorbitolIsoprene PolyisopropreneAcrylic acidPBSTHF1,4 ButanediolLactic acid3 HPCO2C5 andC6sugarsC5 andC6sugarsSource: Frost & Sullivan1.Alongerversionofthisarticle,whichcon-tainsadditionalprocessdetailsandmarketin-formation, can be found online at www.che.com. Browse the June 2009 issue or search the edito-rial archives for this article title to access it.Figure 1.Many platformand derivative chemicals andpolymers can be produced from a handful of renewable agricultural and forest feedstocks07_CHE_060109_NF1.indd 16 5/26/09 1:56:43 PM ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com June 2009 17trum of platform chemicals that serve aschemicalfeedstocksforthedown-streamchemicalindustry,saysLuc Moens,seniorscientist,NationalRe-newable Energy Laboratorys National BioenergyCenter(NREL;Golden, Colo;www.nrel.gov).Fordevelopers ofrenewable routes, efforts to take a page from the petrochemical refinerys playbookhavenotbeenasstraight-forward as some might hope.Manyoftheclassicalunitopera-tionsfromthepetrochemicalrefiner-ies,suchasdistillation,crackingand conventionalthermalprocessessuch asgasificationandpyrolysisjust dont work as well for renewable feed-stocks,saysBozell. Thehighdegree ofoxygenationassociatedwiththese complexsubstrateshindersmany conventionalchemicalcatalystsys-tems, says Moens.This reduction either comes at the cost of energy (for example, hydrogen and natural gas) or through the loss of carbonasCO2andsolidwaste,allof whichincreasecapitalrequirements andrawmaterialscostscomparedto petroleum-basedroutes,addsBob Maughon,Hydrocarbons&Energy R&DdirectorforDowChemicalCo. (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com). Insteadofconventionalcatalysts, manyofthemostwell-developed, biobasedchemicalproductionroutes inusetoday,suchasfermentation, relyonmicrobialorenzyme-driven biochemicalconversions,whichare challenging theselves, Enzyme-based processes have advantages [for renew-ablefeedstocks],buttheyalsohave somedisadvantages,saysMaughon. Theytendtobeslowerthanchemi-calprocesses,theyalmostalwaysre-quirewatertobepresent,andthey frequentlysufferproductinhibition. He adds: Wresting products like alco-holsandacidsoutofwateroftenre-quires massive amounts of energy, and frequently requires steps to overcome difficulties such as azeotropes. As a result, process developers have beenpursuingnotonlyadvanceden-zymestoimprovemicrobialandfer-mentationprocesses,butadvances that will allow classical chemical pro-cess and refinery techniques (such as theuseofthermalcracking,andacid orbasecatalysisusinghomogeneous andheterogeneouscatalysts)tobe adaptedforrenewablefeedstocks,as well. Once perfected, such techniques are expected to offer advantages over purelybiologicalprocessingmethods of biomass, says Bozell. Looking at ligninLigninisuniqueamongitsbiomass counterparts,inthatitistheonly renewablesourceofaromaticsan important,high-volumeclassofcom-pounds,saysBozell.Theabilityto carryoutdirect,efficientconversion of lignin to low-molecular-weight aro-matics(includingtheBTXchemicals benzene,tolueneandxylenes)isan attractivegoal,butitisparticularly challengingduetothedifficultiesas-sociatedwithseparatingligninfrom lignocellulosic feedstocks.AccordingtoDOE,processdevel-opersworkingwithligninhavehad promisingearlysuccessusinggasifi-cationtoconvertligninintosyngas (carbonmonoxideandhydrogen)and eventuallymixedalcohols,andpyrol-ysistoconvertligninintogasoiland other pyrolysis oils. These efforts have fueledinterestinthedevelopmentof otherprocessesandimprovedcata-lyststoconvertplentifullignininto downstream chemicals.One key to using lignin is the sepa-rationofbiomassintoitsthreemain components(lignin,celluloseand hemicellulose).Today,effectiveup-front separation remains a huge chal-lengeforanybiorefinery.Oneclassic approach(diluteacidpretreatment) removesasignificantportionofthe hemicellulose,butleavestheremain-ing two fractions (cellulose and lignin) commingled,andthusnotavailable in as useful a form, says Bozell.Advances in the use of acid or base treatments, steam treatment and sol-vent fractionation appear to offer good accesstothecomponentsinbiomass andhelptoreducethecomplexityof the heterogeneous starting materials, yieldingsimplermolecules,carbohy-drates, lignins and plant-based hydro-carbons, says Bozell.Onesolvent-basedprocessdevel-opedbyNREL,calledCleanFrac-tionation(CF),isabletoisolateand purifychemical-gradecellulosefrom lignocellulosicmaterials.Designed asafront-endpretreatmentstepfor biorefineries,theprocessseparates thepreviouslycommingledlignin/hemicellulosestreams,makingboth available for chemical production.First,thecellulosicfeedstockis treatedwithaternarymixtureof methylisobutylketone(MIBK),eth-anolandwaterinthepresenceofa diluteacidpromotersuchassulfuric acid,andthemixtureisheatedat 140C for less than one hour. The sol-vent mixture selectively dissolves the ligninandhemicellulosecomponents, leaving the cellulose as an undissolved solid material that can be washed, fi-berized and further purified. The soluble fraction containing both ligninandhemicelluloseistreated withwater,resultinginaphasesep-arationintoanorganicphasecon-tainingthelignin,andanaqueous solution containing the hemicellulose-derived sugars (pentosans). More than 95% of the components in the starting feedstocks can be isolated, says Moen. The process normally gives a cellulose yield of about 4748 wt.%, in compari-sontomaximumyieldsofabout40% using conventional pulping processes.The CF process also allows for 99% $/ton1,4001,2001,000800600Year4002000Comparison of feedstock prices for the chemical industry1-033-035-037-039-0311-031-043-045-047-049-0411-041-053-055-057-059-0511-051-063-065-067-069-0611-061-073-075-077-079-0711-071-083-085-087-089-0811-08Maize WheatSugar Crude brentFigure 2.Three of the most viable renewable feedstocks have enjoyed greater price stability over the past few years than crude oil, the starting material for conven-tional petrochemical feedstocksSource: Frost & Sullivan07_CHE_060109_NF1.indd 17 5/26/09 1:59:44 PM18 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com June 2009Newsfrontrecoveryoftheorganicsol-vents,andproducesnoodorous emissions,saysBozell(wholed theCFprocessdevelopment atNRELfor10yearsbefore movingtotheUniversityof Tennessee).Thisprovidesnewop-portunitiesfortheuseofsugarcane bagasseandotherlignocellulosic feedstocksaschemicalfeedstocks, adds Moens.Levulinic acidLevulinicacid(LA)isadiverseplat-formchemical.Thisfive-carboncom-pound,traditionallyproducedfrom maleicanhydrideandotherpetro-chemicalfeedstocks,hashistorically founduseinthemanufactureofad-hesives, rubber, plastics, and synthetic fiber products.Today,itcanbeproducedthrough the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of cellu-lose (using, for instance, sulfuric acid). Levulinicacidshouldreceivemuch more attention than it has, because it issuchaversatileandreactivemol-ecule,fromwhichnumerousderiva-tives can be synthesized, says Moens. When you consider how many chemi-cals can be made from levulinic acid includinglevulinateesters,N-meth-ylpyrrolidone, 1,4-butanediol, succinic acid, pyrrolidine, lactones, acrylic acid, and furans, to name a few you see theversatilenatureofthischemical. Andtheabilitytoproducethiscellu-lose-derivedplatformchemicalfrom wastematerials,suchassugarcane bagasse and other lignocellulosic feed-stocks provides a compelling driver for process developers.Biodiesels downstream bountyDuring the production of biodiesel, the transesterificationoffeedstockveg-etableoilsandanimalfatsproduces onepoundofglycerinforeverynine poundsofdiesel(or,statedanother way, 1.25 lb of glycerin is produced for every gallon of biodiesel). Swift growth in worldwide biodieselcapacity inre-centyearshascreatedanabundant supplyofbyproductglycerin,which hasfueledinterestinprocessesto convertglycerinintopropylenegly-col(1,2-propanediol;PG;seealsoCE, Outletsforglycerin,Sept.2007,pp. 3137).Traditionally made from fossil feedstock propylene oxide, PG is used in the manufacture of various plastics andplasticizers,solvents,hydraulic fluidsandlubricants,heat-transfer fluids, and more.Totakeadvantageofthissudden availabilityofexcessglycerinsupply, at least a half dozen chemical compa-nies (including Dow Chemical, Hunts-manCorp.,ADMandothers)are working in parallel to build grassroots chemicalplantstoconvertbiodiesel-derived glycerin into PG.However,whilenear-termcrude glycerinisinexcess,thelongterm view could change, as next-generation biodieselprocessesmakenoglycerin andrenewableprocessesarealready consumingthissurplus,saysMaug-honofDow.Healsonotesthatmany ofthetechnologiesknowntodaystill have competitive cost issues and prod-uctqualityissues(especiallyaround pharmaceuticalgrades)thatmustbe reconciledbeforetheycanbeused more broadly on a commercial basis.Epichlorohydrin productionToday, several major chemical compa-nies are also developing and commer-cializing processes to produce epichlo-rohydrin a high-volume commodity chemical used largely in the synthesis ofepoxyresinsfrombiodiesel-de-rived glycerin. The conventional route relies on propylene and chlorine as the primaryrawmaterials,buthaspar-ticularlylowchlorine-atomefficiency, soitproducesunwantedbyproducts hydrogenchlorideorwastechloride anionsthatareexpensivetodispose of,saysJohnBriggs,chemistryand catalysis scientist for Dow.Dowstwo-stepglycerin-to-epichl-rohydrin(GTE)processprovidesa varietyofadvantagesoverthemulti-step incumbent process, including (but notlimitedto)fewerunitoperations, smallerenvironmentalfootprintand overallcost,reducedequipmentre-quirements,shorterresidencetimes, fewer reaction byproducts and a purer final product, says Briggs. The process alsoreduceswastewatergeneration byover90%andconsumes30%less energycomparedtotheconventional technology. Dow has had a GTE dem-onstrationunitrunningatitsStade, Germany, site since 2006, and in 2008 announced plans for its first commer-cial-scale GTE facility in China.Similarly,inApril2007,Solvay Chemicals(Brussels;www.solvay.com) started up a 10,000-m.t./yr plant thatproducesepichlorohydrinatits Tavaux,France,site,frombiodiesel-derived glycerin, using the companys patentedEpicerolprocess(formore, seeCE,March2006,p.14,and April 2006, pp. 2730). The company is now moving forward with a 100,000-metric ton (m.t.)/yr Epicerol production facil-ityinMapTaPhut,Thailand,with startup slated for 2010.PDO and bioplasticsTwo different renewable routes (based on corn sugar and glycerin) havebeen commercializedforanotherwidely usedpropanediol1,3-propanediol (PDO), a premium-price intermediate usedintheproductionofpolymers, cosmetics,liquiddetergents,anti-freeze,de-icingandheattransferflu-idsandotherproducts.Detailsabout thecorn-sugar-basedroutefromDu-PontTate&LyleBioProductsLLC (Wilmington,Del.;www.dupont.com), andtheglyerin-basedroutefrom Metabolic Explorer (Metex; Clermont-Ferrand,France;metabolic-explorer.com) and Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP;Rueil-Malmaison)canbefound inthelongerversionofthisarticle.1 Several facilities that are already pro-ducing plastics from ag-based starting materials are also discussed. As interest in renewable feedstocks continues to grow, many stakeholders arechannelingthespiritofthefairy taleRapunzelspinningstrawand other low-cost, renewable agricultural andforestproductsintovalue-added chemicals that are worth their weight in gold.Suzanne ShelleyFuels (convergent)Technology 1Technology 2Technology 3etc.Product 1Product 2Product 3etc.Chemicals (divergent)Single technology(e.g., selective oxidations)Single product (e.g., EtOH)Figure 3.While the single-product approach has dominated the commercial-ization of many biobased chemicals and plastics processes to date, many say that the cost-effective biorefnery concept of tomorrow will be predicated on the ability to convert key renewable feedstocks into intermediate platform chemicals, which can be further processed to produce a broad slate of value-added chemicalsSource: Dr. Joseph Bozell,University of Tennessee (Knoxville) 07_CHE_060109_NF1.indd 18 5/26/09 2:01:59 PMChemical processors rely on seals andgasketstostanduptoag-gressivemedia,hightempera-turesandhighpressures.How-ever,duetoleaksandfailures,seals andgasketsareoftenconsideredthe weakestlinkinchemicalprocessing systems.Butsealmanufacturersare strengthening this link via new mate-rials and designs in an effort to make seals and gaskets as robust as the rest of the system.Processorsarelookingforseals and gaskets that can operate in more difficult environments with little or no failure, notes John Kerwin, materials technologistwithPrecisionPolymer Engineering(PPE),Ltd.(Blackburn, England).Theyneedthesecompo-nentstoworkatavarietyoftem-peraturesandpressuresandinmore chemicallyaggressiveenvironments. Asaresult,we,asmanufacturers, mustdevelopmaterialswithbroader operating ranges and better chemical resistance to extend the life of the seal and increase system uptime.New materials and designsIn the past, a processor may have had a vessel or reactor that was used only foroneprocess,butnowmanyinthe chemical process industries (CPI) need tousethatsameequipmentovera broader range of applications in order togetmoreproductionfromexisting systems.Onereactionvesselmight haveonlyoperatedatonetempera-turewithonechemical,butnowits expectedtobeusedforacompletely differentrangeoftemperatureswith completely different sets of chemicals, explains Kerwin. Typically, running a variety of chem-icalsathigherorlowertem-peratureswouldrequireen-gineerstousedifferentseals ontheequipmenteachtime. However,theycanttakethe timetochangeouttheseals andgasketsbetweenevery run, so that means that those componentshavetobemuch morecapableoverabroader rangeoftemperaturesand chemicals, says Kerwin.Thissituationisespecially commonintheextremecon-ditionsoftheoilandgas industry,headds.Forthis reason,PPEhasdeveloped new,explosivedecompres-sion resistant elastomers. The EnDurafamilyofelastomer sealshandlestemperatureextremes, higher pressures and greater levels of hydrogen sulfide and other chemicals encounteredduringoilandgaspro-cessing. TheFKM,HNBRand TFE/P materials offer a wide operating tem-peraturerange,from45to225C,as wellasexcellentchemicalresistance and mechanical properties.Thesecharacteristicsshouldhelp increase uptime. Trials of the EnDura sealsonaleadinggascompressor model have shown that the elastomer lasts at least three times as long as ex-isting seals, significantly reducing the incidence of seal failure, says Kerwin.Outside the oil and gas industry, the need for seals that are compatible with avarietyofchemicals,temperatures and pressures is often coupled with the requirement of maintaining a sanitary environment,saysColinMacqueen, directoroftechnologywithTrelleborg SealingSolutions(FortWayne,Ind.). While elastomer O-rings are a common choice for sealing in a multitude of ap-plications,thereisariskofleaching, whichleadstocontamination,anun-acceptable situation in many chemical processing applications. Elastomers can also deteriorate quickly when subjected totheaggressivemediaandgasesin some systems, says Macqueen. Turcon,theproprietaryPTFE-basedmaterialfrom TrelleborgSeal-ingSolutions,providesanalterna-tivesealingoptionwhereasanitary environmentisnecessary.Ithasthe benefit of being compatible with most chemicalmedia,combinedwithwear resistance,high-frictioncharacteris-ticsandtheabilitytowithstandex-treme operating temperatures.However,sincePTFEhasnoelas-ticity,theTurconVarisealproductis energized with a spring fitted into the sealprofile.Inmostapplicationsthe openspringofthestandardTurcon CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JUNE 2009 19NewsfrontNew materials and designs help seals and gaskets evolve into components that can overcome todays CPI challengesSTRENGTHENINGTHE WEAKEST LINKFIGURE 1.Style 212-ULE valve stem packing is said to outperform engineered sets, meeting global emission standardsGarlock Sealing TechnologiesFIGURE 2.The EnDura family of seals was developed to cope with temperature extremes, in-creasing pressures and higher levels of hydrogen sulde in the oil and gas industryPrecision Polymer Engineering20 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JUNE 2009NewsfrontVarisealisacceptable.However,in someapplications,wherecleanliness is paramount, there is a risk of metal extractablesenteringthesystem, whichcanleadtocontamination.For suchcases,thecompanyalsooffers anencloseddesignintheformofthe TurconVarisealUltra-Clean.Inthis design, the spring required to activate the seal is fully enclosed within a Tur-concase,allowingnometalextract-ables to enter the processing system.In other sanitary applications, seals and gaskets must not only avoid con-tributingtocontamination,butalso must stand up to the stringent clean-ingprocessesandchemicalspresent, notes Macqueen. Cleaning regimes in the pharmaceutical and food-and-bev-erageindustriesareextremelystrin-gentandoftenincludeasterilize-in-place (SIP) practice, he says. In these instances,thelong-termperformance ofstandardFKMsealsislimited. Theytendtofailinsteamatoperat-ingtemperaturesof100C,whichis much lower than steam cleaning tem-peratures of 130C. In addition, due to theirvinylidene-basedpolymercom-position,FKMsareacidicandshow weakness in alkaline-based media.Withtheseissuesinmind,Trelle-borg began investigating the possibil-ityofengineeringanFKMmaterial withahigherresistancetoclean-in-place(CIP)andSIPregimes.Todo this, two compounds were formulated basedonacompletelydifferentpoly-mer architecture, which combined with an elevated fluorine level, meant they hadanalmostnon-polarstructure. TheresultingmaterialswereResif-luor500andV8T41.Bothmaterials have excellent steam resistance: Resi-fluor500withstandstemperatures upto150C,whileV8T41iscapable upto170C.Inaddition,Resifluor 500demonstrateschemicalstability withhigh-performancecharacteris-ticsinbothpolarandnon-polarCIP media,includingthemostaggressive solvents. Both products also have full compliancewithFDArequirements, 3-ASanitaryStandards,USPClass VI and culminate in Cytotoxicity test-www.cranechempharma.comSince P K Saunders invented the original diaphragm valve in 1928, and founded Saunders Valve Co.five years later, Saunders has led the way in providing the highest standards of reliability, engineering and safety. The range has been continually expanded over 75years through innovation in both design and new materials technology. As a result the Saunders diaphragm valve has gained a widespread reputation for its versatility and established a presence in diverse process industry sectors. STAND Q2R6SEE OUR NEW PRODUCTS ATHALL 875 years of science inside!at ACHEMA 2009!Celebrate with uswww.cranechempharma.comSince P K Saunders invented the original diaphragm valve in 1928, and founded Saunders Valve Co.five years later, Saunders has led the way in providing the highest standards of reliability, engineering and safety. The range has been continually expanded over 75years through innovation in both design and new materials technology. As a result the Saunders diaphragm valve has gained a widespread reputation for its versatility and established a presence in diverse process industry sectors. STAND Q2R6SEE OUR NEW PRODUCTS ATHALL 8 75 years of science inside!See our new products at www.cranechempharma.comCircle 15 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-15SEAL AND GASKETPROVIDERSA.W. Chesterton www.chesterton.com CoorsTek www.coorstek.comDiba Industries www.dibaind.comDuPont www.dupont.comEagle Burgmann www.burgmann.comEuropean Sealing Assn.www.europeansealing.comFlexitallic www.flexitallic.comFlowserve www.flowserve.comFluid Sealing Assn.www.fluidsealing.comGarlock Sealing Technologieswww.garlock.comParker Page www.pageintl.comPrecision Polymer Engineeringwww.prepol.comProco Productswww.procoproducts.comReinz-Dichtungs www.reinz.deSKF USA, Inc. www.skfusa.comTrelleborg Sealing Solutionswww.trelleborg.comW.L. Gore & Associateswww.gore.com/sealants ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com June 2009 21ingwheresuppliersmustprovethat products are completely non-toxic.Recession-related challengesTodays economy is putting additional pressureonsealsandgaskets.Many chemical producers are postponing or shuttingdownprocessesinaneffort to balance the supply of product with the lower demand, says Rob Haywood, productspecialistwithW.L.Gore& Associates(Elkton,MD).Whenever you are shutting down and restarting a process, that creates a challenge for thesealstomaintainthosekindsof dynamicconditionsanditrequiresa sealwithhighintegritytowithstand repeatedshutdownsandstartups, says Haywood.Todealwiththisissue,Gorehas beenworkingtocreateexpanded PTFE gaskets with improved creep re-sistance. If the gasket technology can resistcreep,ithasabetterchanceof maintaining the seal during restarts, he explains.The company now offers The Univer-salPipeGasket,aswellasGRsheet gasketing,tohelpinthisarea.Used to seal all types of flanges in chemical processpiping,thepipegasketsare unaffectedbyaggressivechemicals anddeliversuperiorboltloadreten-tion, which provides exceptional creep resistanceforreliablesealingofsteel pipingflanges.Theuniversaldesign allows them to be used in steel, glass-linedsteelandfiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) systems.GoreGRsheetgasketingprovides thebenefitsofconventionalPTFE sheet without the creep and cold flow that is commonly associated with that material.The100%expandedPTFE materialisdimensionallystable,yet conformable,allowingittocompress intoagasketthatcreatesatight, long-lasting seal suitable for use with aggressive chemicals.Trelleborg Sealing SolutionsCircle 16 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-16Figure 3.Designed to prevent con-tamination, the Turcon Variseal operates in extreme temperatures from 253 to 260C and withstands high tempera-tures to enable use in a variety of ap-plications where an ultra-clean environ-ment is necessary08_CHE_060109_NF2.indd 21 5/21/09 1:24:17 PM22 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com June 2009NewsfrontRegulations/designsTighteningenvironmen-talregulationsarealso affectingseals.Itused tobethattheprocessor wouldfixthesealwhen itleaked,butthatisno longeracceptableasen-vironmentalregulations growmorestringent, notesTrelleborgsMac-queen.Becauseofthis, chemical processors need sealsandgasketswith proven long life.JimDrago,manager ofbusinessdevelopment withGarlockSealing Technologies(Palmyra, N.Y.),agreesthatthisis agrowingissueforCPI. TheEPA[U.S.Environ-mental Protection Agency (Washington, D.C.)] is re-ally starting to level their gaze on the chemical pro-cessingindustry,much in the same way they did withhydrocarbonpro-cessorsand[petroleum]refineries in the recent past, he says. At the same time there is a real push fromtheregulatorsregardingleak detection and repair programs. Leaks can no longer just be monitored, they must be sought out and eliminated.Now, he says, it is up to seal manu-facturerstoprovidethelatesttech-nologiesinsealssothatleaksareno longeranissue.Theproductsmust come with guarantees and warranties so processors have some sort of assur-ance that the seals they are using will meet regulations.One such product includes Garlocks Style 212-ULE, a new ultra-low emis-sion,high-temperature,valve-stem spoolpackingdesignedtosimplify leakdetectionandrepairinboththe hydrocarbon and chemical process in-dustries. Tested by a hydrocarbon pro-cessor, the packing delivered emissions performance of less than 20 ppm aver-age leakage, according to Garlock.Abletowithstandoperatingtem-peratures of 200 to 1,200C in steam andnon-oxidizingenvironmentsand upto455Cinmediacontainingfree oxygen,thevalvestempackinghas amaximumpressureratingof4,500 psigandapHratingof014,except for strong oxidizers.Thisissuchanenvironmentally valuableproductforprocessorsbe-causeresearchhasshownthat60% oftheleakageofVOCsinchemical processingplantscomesthrough valvestems,saysMikeFaulkner, product manager with Garlock. This productwillhelpthemchasedown and eliminate the biggest contributor to the problem.Thisimprovementandtheothers mentionedabovearehelpingchemi-cal processors to run their equipment forthelongestpossibletimebetween repairs in a continually changing and challengingprocessingenvironment without the additional burden of seal contamination, leakage or failure.Theseareallthingsthatcome down to dollars at the end of the day, and seals and gaskets are evolving in such a way that they actually will help processorsextendthetimebetween refittingthesecomponentsintheir equipment, says Macqueen. Joy LePreeFigure 5.Unaffected by aggressive chemicals, Gore Universal Pipe Gaskets combine all the properties of ePTFE with exceptional sealability, bolt load retention and creep resistanceW.L. Gore & AssociatesCircle 17 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-17Figure 4.Gore GR sheet gasketing is made from 100 percent ePTFE, providing a level of high-temperature and blowout resistance while preventing creep and cold fow08_CHE_060109_NF2.indd 22 5/21/09 1:25:01 PMEuropeanSealingAssociation e.V.Thickness( mm)Loadhehilog gasketpressurePartA ( loading)slope = GasketconstantaPartB ( unloading)T=1 plog TpGbGsSpecial Advertising SectionSealing Technology24||||||CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHE.COM||||JuNE 2009Sealing Special Advertising SectionWeighing up lifetime costsIn a tough economic climate, its even more important to make the right choices when choosing pumps and sealsWhen money is tight, value for money is essential. This is certainly true of pump systems, where the lifetime costs of electric power, maintenance, and lost production due to breakdowns can dwarf the up-front investment.A typical 55-kW pump will cost around $750,000 over its 20-year lifetime with purchase and installation accounting for less than 20% of this sum, says Bill Adams, president of the Fluid Sealing Assn. (FSA; www.fluidsealing.com). Factors influencing pump operating costs include the systems hydraulic design and the use of variable-speed drives. Also important is the choice of sealing system, which can affect efficiency, environmental costs, direct maintenance costs, and the knock-on costs of reliability.To get this message across to engi-neers and purchasing managers, the FSA and sister organization the European Sealing Assn. (ESA; www.europeanseal-ing.com) are continuing their work with the Hydraulic Institute (HI; www.pumps.org) on the Pump Systems Matter campaign, which highlights the advantages of life cycle costing (LCC). Engineers need to start thinking like MBAs, Adams explains. Choosing a pump or sealing system is about understanding time and money.The first step in LCC is to gather information about costs: of buying and installing the pump, operating it under actual process conditions, monitoring and maintaining it, dealing with downtime and environmental performance, and finally decommissioning it. Armed with these figures, engineers can then calculate and compare lifetime costs, using the concept of net present value (NPV) to express the fact that $1 now is worth more than $1 in the future.Not unusually, says Adams, paying more now for a pump or seal can produce big savings tens or hundreds of thou-sands of dollars over several years. The HI book Pump Life Cycle Costs: A Guide to LCC Analysis for Pumping Systems gives more detail. Start of llfeAcqulsltlon costSustalnlng costFnd of llfe-JGFDZDMFTQBO1FSDFOUBHF

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DPTU'VOETDPNNJUUFE'VOETTQFOU-$$DPTUSFEVDUJPOPQQPSUVOJUZ%8%66%1oo,ozoProductlonand salvageFnglneerlng,manufacturlng,andconstructlonConceptualdeslgn0emonstratlonand valldatlonLife cycle costing (LCC) should ideally be done at the design stage. Once equipment has been installed, most costs are committed and there is little room for improvementDevelopments in documentationGaskets, packings, mechanical seals and expansion joints are not only surprisingly complex, but also subject to changing rules, points out ESA general secretary Brian Ellis. As a result, both the ESA and the FSA are working to update and improve their technical publications.Very soon to be published is a new edition of the ESA+FSA Flange Gaskets Glossary reflecting changes in standards, especially the move away from European national standards towards those harmo-nized by CEN (www.cen.eu). Its unbeliev-ably complex, says Ellis, and there have been a lot of changes to U.S. standards too. The new Glossary will help engineers in multinational companies understand and accommodate differences between the U.S. and European rules, he says.Available later this year, the ESA-led publication Successful Sealing with Elastomers will help users avoid seal failure when standardizing O-rings and lip seals between manufacturers, materials or applications.Also to be released in the next few months are a series of joint ESA/FSA pocket-sized pamphlets (Fitters Flyers) on ductwork expansion joints, which pro-vides clear guidance for field technicians (illustration, below). With expansion joints available in a range of designs, in diam-eters up to 3 m and more, this topic alone requires 44 different pamphlets, Ellis says.Expansion joints of another kind fea-ture in a revised FSA Piping Expansion Joint Handbook, says FSA technical direc-tor Pete Petrunich, while there are new Chinese (Mandarin) and Polish-language versions of another Fitters Flyer title: FSA+ESA Gasket Installation Procedure. Easily explained: clear 3-D graphics in new ESA and FSA publications help technicians make sense of installation procedures for expansion jointsHolding stocks of many different tech-nical publications is expensive, notes ESA general secretary Brian Ellis not to say wasteful when documents are revised before the previous edition is sold out. To mitigate the problem, the ESA and FSA are embracing downloadable documenta-tion and digital print-on-demand (POD) technology. Pioneering the latter is a new edition of the FSA + ESA Compression Packing Manual, explains the FSAs Pete Petrunich. Lower costs, up-to-date information, and customized manuals are among the benefits of POD, Ellis notes. Packings manual pioneers new printing technology09_CHE_060109_SEALS.indd 24 5/21/09 1:34:21 PMCircle 18 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-18Flexitallic 6-09.indd 1 5/21/09 10:14:45 AM26||||||CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHE.COM||||JUNE 20095ea|ing 5pecia| Advertising 5ectienLeadership through innovation in gasket materials8JUINPSFUIBOBDFOUVSZJOHBTLFUJOHUIF'MFYJUBMMJD(SPVQSFNBJOTBUUIFGPSFGSPOUPGTFBMJOHUFDIOPMPHZThe company that lnvented splral-wound gaskets ln 11z and whose lnnovatlve sheet-materlal manufacturlng dates back to the 1Soos has also developed gasket materlal that can be equally effectlve ln temperatures hlgher than Mercury's (SooF) and lower than }uplter's (-zooF).The f|exita||ic Creup, headquartered ln houston, Tex., has achleved lnternatlonal leadershlp ln lndustrlal seallng products because of lts contlnued dedlcatlon to research and development and lts commlt-ment to addlng value for lts customers. ln recognltlon of the latter, ln zooS the com-pany recelved the coveted Frost & Sulllvan Fxcellence ln Customer value award.Two of Flexltalllc's most popular products are Thermlcullte and Slgma. uerlved from vermlcullte, a natural mln-eral that reslsts both chemlcals and heat, Thermlcullte has solved a wlde varlety of customer problems, especlally ln hlgh-tem-perature envlronments where competltors' products have falled. unllke graphlte-based products, Thermlcullte reslsts oxl-datlon, a prlmary cause of seal fallure.Thermlcullte ls avallable ln two grades. The Soo Crltlcal Servlce Serles ls speclally made for extreme-temperature appllca-tlons, from cryogenlcs to 1,SooF. lt's manufactured as tanged sheet, splral-wound, and kammproflle faclng. The ,oo Performance Crade Serles, deslgned for more-moderate temperatures, ls avallable ln coreless sheet and splral-wound styles, sultable for replaclng aramld, glass, and carbon flber as well as PTFF and graphlte.wlth Slgma sheet seallng materlals, Flexltalllc has taken PTFF to a whole new level wlth a structural modlflcatlon that enhances chemlcal reslstance and reduces creep. Slgma provldes a hlgh-lntegrlty, low-malntenance seallng solutlon across the entlre ph range, from concentrated mlneral aclds to strong alkall. lt can be used at temperatures from -oF to ooF, and pressures from vacuum to S bar. Appllcatlons lnclude chemlcal and pharmaceutlcal manufacturlng.www.I|exita||ic.cem { www.I|exita||ic.eu1hermicu|ite :y is just ene eI a wide range eI sea| materia|s Irem f|exita||icCircle 19 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-1910_CHE_060109_LIT.indd 31 5/26/09 3:11:34 PM10_CHE_060109_LIT.indd 32 5/26/09 3:15:13 PMPeopleCHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JUNE 2009 29Peter Oosterveer becomes president of energy & chemicals for Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.), based in Haarlem, Netherlands.RathGibson (Lincolnshire, Ill.) names Kirk Thorne vice-president of sales and marketing.Matcor (Doylestown, Pa.) names Matt Matlas senior managing corro-sion engineer.IRISS (Bradenton, Fla.) appoints Marv Maddox senior technical advi-sor for training and business development.EagleBurgmann U.S. (Houston)names Marcus Pillion president. Richard G. Campbell joins CH2M Hill (Denver, Colo.) as vice-president of engineering technology for the firms power group.Dow Microbial Control (Buffalo Grove, Ill.), a business unit of the Dow Chemical Co., appoints Mark Henning general manager.Mark Lostak becomes president of Air Liquide Industrial U.S. (Hous-ton); Etienne Lepoutre becomeschief operating officer of Air Liquides Industrial Merchant business line.Bill Harvey becomes director of logistics engineering for ChemLogix LLC (Blue Bell, Pa.).Mike Brandes becomes vice-president of operations for Universal Package Systems (Dale, Ind.). OSuzanne ShelleyOosterveer Lostak Matlas ThorneWHOS WHOPillionCircle 22 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/23015-22The YGS Group is the authorized provider ofcustom reprints from Chemical Engineering.Custom reprints from Chemical Engineering could be one of the smartest marketing decisions you make.Harness the power of positive press.Contact The YGS Groupat 717.399.1900 x100 orlearn more online at www.theYGSgroup.com/reprintsA positive displacement al-ternative for syringe pumpsCheminert Models M6 and M50 liquidhandlingpumps(photo) areanewoptionforprecision handlingofliquidsandgases, producing a bidirectional, pulse-lessflowwitharangeofover six orders of magnitude (10 nL/minto10mL/minfortheM6 Pump; 50 L/min to 50 mL/min fortheM50Pump).Saidtobe anexcellentreplacementfor syringepumps,theCheminert pumps offer better performance and eliminate the need for refill cycles and syringe changes. The M6andM50arepositivedis-placement pumps, which means they are self-priming and toler-ant of any gas that may find its wayintothefluidlines.There is no separate fill cycle, and the capacity is said to be unlimited. RS-232 and RS-485 communica-tionprotocolsareincorporated intothemicroprocessor-driven controller. Valco Instruments Co., Inc., Houston, Tex. www.vici.comBreakthrough performance for high pressure applicationsPentaflexSeries7.0GPMHighPres-sure Pumps (pohto) are engineered and constructed with the latest co-injection mold diaphragm technology, which vir-tually eliminates potential leak paths. Theunique,five-chamberdesignal-lowsthesepumpstooperateatpres-suresexceeding60psi.Atthesame time,Santo-EPDMandSanto-Viton constructionmakesthemcapableof handling tough chemicals without cor-roding. ITT Flojet, Santa Ana, Calif.www.flojet.comEccentric disc pumps compen-sate for mechanical wearOn display for the first time at Achema 2009, last month, SLC-Series eccentric disc pumps (pohto) offer lower ongoing operationsandmaintenancecostsin thetransferofvariouschemicalsdue tosuperiorvolumetricefficiencies. Unlike gear and lobe pumps that lose efficiencyastheywear,SLC-Series pumps aredesignedtoself-compen-sateformechanicalwearandmain-tainconsistentowovertime. With sealless construction, the self-priming characteristics also boast the ability to run dry for up to ve minutes. Other benets include low shear and agita-tion of the pumped product, capability ofhandlingsolidsandabrasivesand clean-in-placecapability.Thelineis availableinstainlesssteelandduc-tileironmodelscapableofhandling upto10,000-cst(46,000-SSU)liquids and working pressures up to 130 psi (9 bar), depending on the model. Mou-vex-Blackmer,anoperatingcompany withinDoverCorp.sPumpSolutions Group, Auxerre, Francewww.mouvex.comPlunger pump expands its ow range to 75 gal/minThismanufacturers60Frametriplex plungerpumps(photo)havenowex-panded to capacities of 75 gal/min. The new range is available in three models brass,stainlesssteelandNAB(Ni-Al-Br) to cover a variety of industrial liquidapplicationssuchasdesalina-tion-reverse osmosis and liquid transfer systems. A special guided valve design providesaddedstrengthanddurabil-ityunderhighflowoperation.CAT Pumps, Minneapolis, Minn.www.catpumps.comVane pump offers extended bearing life, lower energy costsProVaneMotorSpeedVanePumps (photo)relyonaHydrodynamicJour-nal Bearing feature to eliminate shaft-to-bearingcontactbyhydroplaning above the bearing surface on a cushion ofliquid.Inthishydrodynamiccondi-tion there is no metal-to-metal contact or wear, and bearing life can be indefi-nite, says the manufacturer. The pumps offer operating speeds up to 3,600 rpm withcapacitiesfrom6to100gal/min (379 L/min) in sizes ranging from 3/4 to 2 in. Designed for continuous-duty op-30 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JUNE 2009Note: For more information, circle the 3-digit number on p. 56, or use the website designation. Valco InstrumentsFOCUS ONPumpsMouvex-BlackmerITT FlojetCAT PumpsBlackmererations, this pump offers the self-prim-ing,lowshear,superiorlinestripping andfluidtransferefficiencyoftradi-tional vane pumps with the added ben-efits of higher operating speeds, longer bearinglife,andonemechanicalseal. ProVane pump does not require a gear reducer, so it offers upfront equipment, installation and energy cost savings, in a smaller footprint. Blackmer, an op-eratingcompanywithinDoverCorp.sPSG, Grand Rapids, Mich.www.blackmer.comThis pump is smart enough to order its own replacement partsThe Imo TX2020 is an intelligent con-cept pump with the ability to monitor itsperformance,adjusttochanging conditionsandorderitsownreplace-mentpartsallwithouthuman supervision.TheTX2020rotary positive-displacement,three-screw pumpcontinuallymonitorsflowrate, pressure,liquidviscosityandenergy consumption.Ifitdeterminesadjust-ment is necessary to maintain flow, it can change speed or heat the liquid, to lower its viscosity. Software includes a preventive maintenance calendar and based on foreseen needs or detected problemstheabilitytodetermine whichpartsneedreplacementand issueapurchaseorderforthem. Colfax Corp., Richmond, Va. www.colfaxcorp.comAggressive gases are no prob-lem for these diaphragm pumpsKNFcorrosion-resistantdiaphragm process pumps (photo) are designed for sampling,transferring,evacuatingor compressing aggressive gases in a wide rangeofchallengingindustrialap-plications.Theseelectricallyoperated andoil-freepumpsboastreliableand contamination-freeperformance.The design combines high-grade steels and solid PTFE (or other inert materials for the wetted head portion) with a l